I own nothing.
The Alien Hero
Chapter Five
It's About the Why
"Quite the batch of candidates this year." Nezu commented. He and the rest of the faculty were reviewing the exam footage. And the results.
"The first place candidate has zero rescue points. Quite unusual, isn't it?" Midnight asked.
"To place at all without more than 15 or so is surprising. This Bakugo kid has greater battlefield awareness and focus than most junior high kids. He's tough, no doubt about it." Cementoss lamented. "He'll go far. Now, on the other hand, where'd this transformation kid come from?"
"Seriously!" Snipe clicked the video back, replaying Stinkfly quick-changing to Cannonbolt. "He's a bug one moment, then a big ol' cannonball! And wasn't he a bonfire in the beginning?"
"Versatility is hard to find in our world," Nezu admitted. "Most heroes are far too specialized in their abilities to be of use in multiple scenarios. They stick to their strengths to save the most people they can within their skillset." He ran the video back to Heatblast blasting right through a 3 pointer. Then to Stinkfly carrying other examinees to safety. Then finally, the earth-shaking blow to the Zero-pointer as Cannonbolt.
"Three distinct forms. All suited for different tasks. Possibly more in his arsenal." Nezu could barely contain his excitement. It seemed that All Might's protégé showed promise, even if Toshinori hid his abilities. "I can't wait to see his full potential. As well as the rest of our winners!"
Most of the teachers agreed with that statement. One in particular knew better than to judge potential from the entrance exam. To Shota Aizawa, two things stood out about Midoriya's quirk.
One was the strict time limit.
Aizawa hummed. He could think of at least 17 scenarios where he would be required to remain transformed for longer than just 10 minutes at a time. You could wake him from a drowsy stupor and he could still think of 9 more off the top of his head.
And like another hero, having a time limit will lose lives one day. Just a matter of time. But beyond that…
His mouth was set in a line. He's seen these forms before. And he knew where he knew them from.
There was more to this kid that met the eye.
xXx
It's been 5 days since the exam. Laying on the couch, Midoriya cycled through the Omnitrix aimlessly. He cycled by Cannonbolt, Heatblast, XLR8, and his newest addition thanks to Knut in Undertown. The devil-like alien would've been perfect in the practical exam, due it's uncanny ability to disassemble tech in seconds, even rebuild it to suit his own needs. He hadn't named him yet, but soon.
Not that it mattered. The exam was over. And he may have failed, despite all the power this watch held. He seemed to glare at it for a moment, but stopped himself. The watch was fine. It did exactly what it was supposed to do. The Omnitrix didn't fail the exam. He did.
He stopped fiddling with the device and checked his phone. Nothing new on the hero news, All Might saved another runaway train, Mt Lady crushed another high-rise, the usual. He also ended up texting Ashido back and forth, just to talk about life and, of course, the exam. She said not to worry, but he just couldn't help himself.
He sighed, tossing the phone aside. He can't dwell on the exam, but he can still train.
He hopped up and laid on the ground. His current record for push-ups is 88 in a row, time to go for 90! As he rose and fell in the exercise, he vaguely wondered how many push-ups Fourarms could do. Would they be easier with four arms or harder due to the increased weight?
He struggled as he climbed to 80. 87…88…he pushed harder…89! He flopped down, breathing hard. 89. New record.
He took a moment to breathe, then got up to the kitchen. Mom was at work, so lunch was up to him. Cooking wasn't really his expertise, but it never hurt to try.
As he sliced the vegetables thinly for his ramen, he thought back to when Kaachan tried to teach him how to cook. In short, it was a qualified disaster. The whole kitchen exploded, he was crying, Kaachan's hand was bleeding…
Looking back, the situation was kinda funny. He chuckled as he sat down with his meal.
Something he noticed is that his transformations did get stronger with training. They weren't particularly weak before, but all his hard work seemed to carry over to his aliens in various ways. Fourarms and Wildmutt were stronger and faster, XLR8 got a bit faster and more agile, even Heatblast seemed to get a temperature boost from training. It was good to know, and reassured him that his training wasn't for nothing.
All this past week, he was still yet to hear from All Might. Nothing about the test, training, nothing. Maybe the hero was too busy. Maybe he gave up on him…
He shook off the depressing thoughts. Self-pity was always a hurdle for him. If he wanted to be a hero one day, he needed to break out of that mindset.
Thump.
He jerked his head up at the noise, looking to the door. On the floor was an assortment of letters.
"Oh, just the mail." He kept cleaning.
…
…
…
"Wait a minute!" he thought. He whipped around to the door again. It was the mail! And it thunked! He practically threw the dishes down and rushed over to the door. He flipped through the bills and postcards until he found it. A wax sealed letter with "UA" on the front! This was it!
He gave a hard gulp, sweating as he took the letter. Something was inside too, something metal? He took it to his room and stared at it for a moment.
"This is it…either I passed…or failed…" he thought nervously. "No use in waiting, the results are the same."
He ripped the letter open! A small metal disc fell from the letter onto the floor. But as he bent down to pick it up…
"HELLO THERE! I AM HERE, AS A PROJECTION!"
"WAAAHH!" Midoriya leapt back from the sudden image, his hand hovering over the Omnitrix before calming down. Before him was a large projection of All Might in a yellow pinstripe suit, with the UA logo behind him.
"All Might? Why are you…what are you doing in the UA letter?" he asked.
"APOLOGIES FOR LATE RESPONSE, YOUNG MIDORIYA. SEEMS THAT MY GREATEST FEAT YET HAS BEEN TACKLING ALL THIS PAPERWORK FOR MY APPLICATION! YOU SEE KID, YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE NEWEST FACULTY MEMBER OF UA HIGH!"
"Huh?" Izuku couldn't believe his ears. "You'll be a teacher?"
"HUH? WHAT…WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHOWBOATING?" Turned out this was a recording, not real time as Midoriya had thought. "WAIT, I HAVE TO DO HOW MANY OF THESE THINGS? YIKES…ANYWAY. IZUKU MIDORIYA! YOU NOT ONLY ACED THE WRITTEN EXAM, WITH A SCORE 100/100, BUT ALSO EARNED YOURSELF 46 VILLAIN POINTS. NOT TOO SHABBY, BUT 46 POINTS ALONE ISN'T QUITE ENOUGH TO COMPETE. SORRY."
The boy hung his head at his mentor's words. "I failed…but, at least I can do General Studies or something…"
"HOWEVER, THERE'S MORE TO THE STORY, YOUNG MAN! LOOK CLOSER!" Confused, he looked up at the screen. Behind All Might was the video feed from the exam. He didn't even notice at the time, but Heatblast melted through a 3-pointer right as it was attacking someone from behind. He also caught the robots' attention long enough for other examinees to make their move and dispatch them.
More notably, it showed him racing, in human form, towards Ashido and Aoyama to catch them before transforming into Stinkfly and carrying them to safety. Finally, his greatest feat, crumbling the Zero-pointer in one fell swoop as Cannonbolt right as the time ran out. Images of all the various acts of heroism were on display as All Might continued.
"WHAT KIND OF HERO SCHOOL WOULD WE BE IF WE IGNORED DEEDS OF SELFLESSNESS? WELL, THE FACT IS, WE DON'T! THAT'S WHY WE HAVE…RESCUE POINTS!"
Right before his eyes, Midoriya's total score was updated. Alongside his 46 villain points was…60 rescue points? Making his total score 106 points!
"NEEDLESS TO SAY, THAT'S MORE THAN ENOUGH TO PASS, YOUNG MAN! YOU CAME SECOND PLACE AND BEAT MY OWN RECORD IN THE PRACTICAL EXAM!"
Tears streamed down his face as he fell to the floor, still staring at the message. Was this for real?
"CONGRATULATIONS, YOUNG MIDORIYA. WELCOME…TO YOUR HERO ACADEMIA!"
xXx
At the beach…
Toshinori Yagi took a deep breath as the salty wind blew his unkempt hair. Here he was…about to make what was probably the biggest decision of his life. Even bigger than accepting One for All from his mentor.
He wondered…if she would be proud of him. If she would agree with his choice.
"No point in speculating" he supposed. He tapped his phone, sending a small message to his protege.
Meet me at the beach. We need to talk.
He waited a total of 10 seconds before he heard a rush of wind from down the street.
"ALL MIGHT!" XLR8 screeched to a halt, blasting the entire area with kicked up sand. "I can't believe it! I passed? Rescue points? And you're teachingthisissoamazingIcan'tbelievethisit'snowonderyou'rehereafterallyourheroagencyisbasedinTokyoandeveryoneknows-"
"Slow down, hey! Kid! Pump the brakes!" Toshinori called over the speedster's rambling. Midoriya realized his mistake and changed back.
"Sorry, All Mig-"
"And careful with the name kid!" he hissed. Midoriya immediately clamped his hands over his mouth. Both looked around for any onlookers, but saw none, sighing in relief.
"Anyway, congrats on getting in, kid!" Toshinori high-fived him. "Top-notch work. Need to work on sticking your landings, though."
"Thanks, I couldn't have done it without your help!"
"Nah, you'd have made it just fine. But I was happy to aid your progress. And also, no one knows I was training you and I wasn't one of the judges. So that win of yours is yours alone."
"Wow, thanks for that!" So that's why he hadn't heard from his mentor at all. He didn't want to show favoritism. "I did my best, but I'm gonna have to be more careful with using Stinkfly. If I scare the people I'm rescuing they could get hurt. Ghostfreak may be better suited for rescue. And speaking of which, I need to plan out which transformation I'm going to use instead of just activating it at random. Which reminds me, I should probably…"
This went on for another minute, with the Number One Hero barely understanding what kid was actually talking about. Usually he'd smack the kid's head, but he took the time to think instead. The kid was worthy, no doubt. But he needed to clear the air before making his choice.
"Listen kid," All Might interrupted. "I didn't call you out here just to pat you on the back."
"Huh? Oh, ok! What's up?" Midoriya asked.
"You've come quite far in just a short time. I wanted to tell you…I'm proud of you."
Midoriya blinked at the praise. If you had told him 10 years ago that he'd hear those words from his childhood hero…he'd think you were crazy.
"That said," he said sternly. "I know you're not telling me everything."
They boy stiffened. Talk about a rollercoaster of a conversation. "W-What? What are you-" But the older man silenced him with a wave.
"I don't need to know today, kid. Whatever you're keeping in, it's your secret to keep. Or someone else's" he explained. "But just know, if you ever need to talk, I can be your greatest confidant. No matter what's going on. Understand?"
Midoriya didn't say anything, but nodded slowly.
"Good," All Might pulled a strand of hair off his head, the golden thread waving in the wind. "It's time to complete your training. What do you remember about my quirk?"
"Well, you said that you could pass it on, and that you were number 8?"
"That's right." All Might studied him closely. "And you, young Midoriya," he held up his hair. "...are worthy of my power. My quirk is yours to inherit."
…
…
"WHAAAAAAT?" Midoriya screamed, making the older man flinch. "THERE'S NO WAY! YOU THINK I'M WORTHY? YOU WANT ME TO…WHAT?"
"I…take it, it was a surprise." All Might chuckled. "Yeah kid, I believe you got what it takes."
"But…but why me?" he asked. "I'm not special or anything!"
"Well, I beg to differ." Toshinori countered. "And it's not your quirk that impresses me."
"But…but I have power already? Would…would it be ok?" Midoriya asked.
"Yeah, that's not a problem. One for All melds with whatever quirk you got. Even multiple transformation ones like yours." All Might continued. "You see, it wasn't your quirk that made the difference here kid. What's more important than any quirk…" he pressed his fist into Midoriya. "Is the heart that wields it. So…what do you say?"
Midoriya looked at his mentor…then down to the Omnitrix. What All Might was saying was…unbelievable! But One for All, would it work with the alien power? Would it be ok?
But he looked back at his mentor. All Might, the Number One Hero, believed in him! It was a dream come true!
How could he say no?
"Alright. I'll do it!" Midoriya accepted, with tears in his eyes. "I'll inherit your power, and use it to become a hero!"
All Might grinned, buffing up to his heroic form. "No hesitation, that's exactly how I expected!"
"So…what do I need to do?" he asked innocently.
"WHY THAT'S THE SIMPLE PART!" he held out his hair. "EAT THIS!"
…
…
…
"Huh?"
xXx
Half an hour later…
Midoriya held down his rolling stomach at the dinner table. Inko was making his favorite, Katsudon, for his success at the exam.
It wasn't his Mom's cooking that made him queasy, far from it. Inko was an expert chef. It was the strand of hair in his stomach that he was trying to digest.
"It won't kick in right away, give it about three hours! And don't try it right away!" All Might had said.
Izuku focused on his favorite dish, ignoring the sick feeling. Now that he was going to UA, he needed to take care of a few things. But for now, he just enjoyed his mother's company.
"Hey Mom?"
"Yes?"
"I need to register a costume design for UA." Midoriya said. "Can you send my design as soon as I come up with it? Should be done tonight."
"Of course sweetie." Inko agreed. "But I thought you had a design already. In your notebook?"
Midoriya almost cringed at the fan-boy design. The childhood drawing he made practically a green All Might. As much as he admired the Number One Hero, his quirk was alien transformation. He wasn't All Might, despite having his quirk now.
"No, I think I need an update. My transformations all have a uniform for some reason, so I should try to match their design, you know?"
"Hmm," Inko hummed. "Makes sense, I suppose. After you're done eating, go ahead and work on it so I can submit it. The sooner the better."
"Thanks Mom."
"Anytime, sweetie. I'm so proud of you!" Inko congratulated. "I'll admit, I was a bit worried hearing about the exam, but it sounds like I had nothing to fear from the start."
"I appreciate it," he thanked. "I just hope I can handle the rest of it, you know? This was just the first test…" While he was muttering, Inko got up and hugged her son.
"You'll be fine," she reassured him. "I know you will." Izuku returned the hug, crying a bit.
I'm sorry Izuku! I wish things were different…
"But things are different now," he thought. "Just not in the way you imagined."
xXx
Later that night, while Midoriya was sound asleep, the Omnitrix was almost overloading with data. He was too deep into his slumber to notice the flashes of yellow and green upon the introduction of new DNA. Internally, the Omnitrix attempted to catalog the DNA sample, only to find it was human DNA. But the DNA was altered, like 80% of the human population, and it was trying to alter Midoriya's own DNA!
Naturally, there were parameters to prevent DNA alterations to this degree. The Omnitrix held the interloper back until it could figure out what it was.
Now, the Omnitrix had a physical sample to analyze. It ran through countless computations, far too complex for the human psychique, in a matter of milliseconds, coming to the following conclusions…
Initiating…updating…
Warning!/!/! Ingested Human DNA sample attempting DNA alteration to host. Halting alteration pending analysis.
…
Alteration halted. Human DNA altered directly by Codon Stream. Alterations favorable to natural evolution process. Updating. Human base template updated and stable. Identifying key strains…
Key DNA samples detected within sample [0907OneForAll67]. Integrating key strain into base form. Key strain magnating to host, [0907OneForAll67] key purpose: transfer essence from Human to Human. Parameters accepted; DNA alteration in progress.
The room filled with the trademark green flash, but Midoriya didn't transform. Not physically anyway.
Alteration stabilized. Power level exceeds host form. Limiting key strain power level to ensure host stability.
Key strain integrated to host. Detecting the following DNA samples from key strain [0907OneForAll67]/…
Partial strain detected…analyzing…Error/Sample incomplete. Unable to recognise DNA sample. Sample split 50%.
Matching/Complete DNA sample required for authorisation. Canceling process. Retain partial DNA sample until further notice.
Adjusting parameters for Human DNA. Human DNA sample [7035MaxTennyson95] will be compared to current DNA samples.
…Human DNA: malleable. Highly adaptive and sensitive to environmental change. DNA integrated Codon energy as a result of Omnimatrix detonation over planet surface.
Adapted Human DNA. Used DNA samples from Codon Stream to create adaptations to ensure survival. Adapted Humans use high variety of in-born foreign DNA to create and mix adaptations over generations, colocally "quirks".
Further analysis required. New directive: acquire new human DNA samples to identify foreign strains.
Directive set. Capture mode updated. Thank you.
Its job complete, the device settled into recharge mode, the red glow lighting up Midoriya's sleeping face. It would be a couple hours until the Omnitrix would be ready to use again, not that it really mattered at this time of night.
xXx
Before he knew it, the day came. Midoriya checked everything. He had his phone, wallet, keys, backpack, books, study guides, calculator, pens and pencils. And eraser, can't forget that.
He furrowed his brow as he rechecked everything. It wasn't really his packing list that frustrated him. Far from it.
It was the fact that he could figure out how to use One for All. Not even a little bit. He and All Might had tried for hours to bring it to the surface: punching the sand, clenching the buttcheeks, screaming "SMASH" at the top of his lungs. But nothing seemed to work.
At the time, he asked All Might if he had even inherited the quirk, to which All Might confirmed. As soon as the quirk was transferred, Toshinori had felt the power start to fade with each passing moment. He'll still be able to run on the dregs for a while, but it wouldn't be too long until he retires as his earth-shattering strength fizzles out.
But Midoriya should be able to use the quirk almost immediately after All Might feels it go, so what's stopping him? He has the power, there's no doubt. So what's going on?
He was so deep in thought that he yelped as he looked at the time. A quick blast of XLR8 made the room spick and span before changing back. He hopped down the stairs, ate his breakfast as fast as humanly possible and bolted for his shoes.
"Do you have everything?" Inko asked.
"Yep!"
"Wallet, keys, phone?"
"Yes, yes and yes! I gotta go, I'll be late!" he rushed as he tied his shoes. He sprung for the door…
"Izuku!"
"Huh? What?" he asked impatiently. His anxiety died as Inko teared up. Some sadness, but some pride too.
"Good luck, sweetheart."
He blinked, then smiled. His high-school career has begun! He waved goodbye as he left, waited until he was out of sight, then activated the watch.
FLASH!
In reality, he had plenty of time to get to UA, but XLR8 had to make a stop first in Undertown, then he'd run just outside of school and walk the rest of the way. Lights blurred by him as he made his way through the familiar, yet alien structures.
Finally, he stopped at the rendezvous, tapping his balled foot with excess energy. Another being sped right next to him, wearing her hood up.
"You got the stuff?" Kizi said in a mysterious, gravely voice. XLR8 only rolled his eyes, giving her a paper bag from his pack. Kizi opened up the bag, finding about a dozen different spices.
"Does your Mom let you watch Breaking Bad, by any chance?" Midoriya asked sarcastically.
"Dunno that one, but she watches The Way of the House-Husband while I sneak peeks." she admitted, giggling. She stuffed a black pouch into his bag. "These are neutron converters and some taedens. Thought you'd like to mess with the converters as a Galvan."
"That I would, thank you!" He patted the girl's hooded helmet. The Kineteceleran's were quite shocked to learn of Midoriya's true identity, but got used to the idea within a few minutes after he told them. He waved goodbye before speeding off, rising back into the city to UA. Before long, the Omnitrix timed out right as he arrived at the alley outside campus.
"Phew, close one!" he huffed. "It would be bad if I timed out mid-run. Gotta watch out." He checked his phone. "Ok, plenty of time to find homeroom."
But as he found out, UA was enormous. Obnoxiously so. It was easily 20 minutes before he found the classroom for Class "1A".
"Woah." He looked up at the 16 foot door. "I think that's big enough for Fourarms, even. Must be made for gigantification quirks." He reached for the handle, but hesitated.
"Whoever's in here, I'll be working with for the rest of high school." His thoughts immediately went to Bakugo and that guy with the glasses. "No, it's a big school," he thought as he opened the door. "There's no way-"
"GET YOUR FEET OFF OF THAT DESK! IT'S DISRESPECTFUL!"
"BITE ME, FOUR EYES!"
He internally sighed as he walked into the room. He spotted Ashido immediately, who waved happily upon seeing him. He waved back, not wanting to interrupt the conversation she was having before. He found his desk in no time, seated right behind Bakugo. Who was still in a shouting match with the strict boy from the exam.
"Look, let's start over shall we?" he reasoned. "I'm Tenya Iida from Somei Academy-"
"Somei! So you think you're better than me! HA! I can't wait to tear you a new one!" Kaachan jeered.
"Seriously? Threats? Are you sure you belong here?"
"More than anyone else!" He turned back to his childhood friend. "That includes you, Deku."
Midoriya only smiled. "We'll see."
Bakugo cocked an eyebrow at the remark. The old Deku might've cowered or tried to placate him. Not today it seemed.
"Hold it!" Iida locked in on Izuku. "You're that kid with the support item! And you used it to pass the exam?"
"Uh…yes and no?" Midoriya scratched his head. "It's not a-"
"It's not any of your damn business, first of all." Bakugo growled. "And they say I'm rude!"
"Well," Midoriya started. "You can be a little-"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP DEKU!"
"...nevermind." Midoriya sighed. "Anyway, it is part of my quirk, 'Alien Genetics'. It's a trigger unit my body developed to handle my quirk" he explained. Iida listened with rapt attention until Midoriya finished.
"I see, well if that's the case, I apologize." Iida changed his tune on a dime. "I should not have been so quick to judge. Please accept my apology."
"It's really fine." Midoriya laughed it off, though Bakugo seemed to huff at the quick resolution.
"Hey, I saw you before!" One girl said. She had long brown hair and bright pink cheeks. "You transformed into a fireball or something at the exam!"
"So that was you!" Iida pieced together. "You can transform into various forms then? That's incredible!"
"I-It's not that special…" Midoriya deflected. "Anyway, what's your quirk?" he asked the girl.
"If you're here to socialize, you should pack up your stuff now."
All speech in the classroom stopped as they turned to the doorway. Laying right outside the door was…a caterpillar?
"WHAT THE HECK IS THAT THING?" They all thought. The caterpillar rose up to reveal that he was not, in fact, a caterpillar, but a man. A very worn out, unshaven man sucking a juice pouch.
"It took you all 4 minutes to shut up," the man said, shrugging off the yellow sleeping bag. He wore plain black clothes with a long gray-white scarf. His jet black hair was messy and shaggy, falling all around his face. His eyes were also black, and had dark bags from exhaustion. Despite his appearance, his voice was sharp and clear, if not a bit tired.
"If you're going to be heroes one day, you need to be better aware of your immediate surroundings." He pulled a blue gym uniform out of his bag. "I'm Shota Aizawa, your homeroom teacher. Now put these on and head outside. Hop to it."
As the class rushed to find their uniforms and change, Aizawa spotted the green haired student. His eyes flitted to the green and gray device on his wrist.
"This will be interesting."
xXx
"A quirk assessment test?" The class asked, standing out at the track. The whole area was made for physical testing, filled with sand pits, pull-up bars, running courses, etc.
"But what about Orientation?" Uraraka (the brown haired girl from before) asked.
"If you're serious about what we do here, you can forget that useless ceremony." Aizawa stated gruffly. "Here at UA, we teachers are not tethered to tradition. That means I can run this class however I see fit." With that, Aizawa pulled out a hand held device, which flicked on a hologram. "Today I'll be measuring your potential, both in you the student and your quirk, through various physical tests. The Department of Education likes to pretend that we're all equal by not allowing students to take these tests with their quirks." The hologram displayed eight tests as he spoke.
"It's not rational, and hopefully one day they will learn better." The hologram flickered off. "Bakugo, you placed first in the practical exam at 110 points. What was your best softball throw in middle school?"
Bakugo furrowed his brow. "67 meters I think."
"Right, time to try it with your quirk." Aizawa tossed him the ball and guided him to a circle. "Anything goes, just stay in the circle. Don't hold back."
"Ok, you asked for it." Bakugo grinned feral as he stretched out. He reared his arm back…
BOOOOOOOOOM!
A huge explosion ripped through the air, carrying the softball through the sky. Bakugo looked proudly at his handiwork, earning some cheers from the crowd of students. Aizawa checked his tool when the ball hit the ground: 765 meters.
"That was awesome!"
"Can't wait to try!"
"This is so fun! My turn!" Mina cheered.
Aizawa's eyes darkened. "So…you think this is fun." The class went dead silent at the tone. Even Bakugo shivered a bit. "You think this is going to be fun and games for the next three years?"
…
…
"Idiots." Aizawa spat. "There will be eight physical tests for you to prove your potential as a pro hero. Whoever comes last has none, and will be expelled immediately."
"WHAAAAAT?" The class yelled. Midoriya couldn't believe his ears. It was the first day!
"But…but we only just got here!" Uraraka cried out. "Expelling someone on the very first day just isn't fair!"
"And natural disasters are?" Aizawa countered. "Or blood-thirsty villains, hmm? Or city level threats? Alien invasions? Nope, the world we live in is full of unfairness."
That one phrase gave Midoriya pause. "Alien what? Does he…"
"However," Aizawa continued. "It's our job as pros to combat that unfairness to keep the streets safe. The only question is if you've got what it takes."
Midoriya gave a hard gulp. So this was what UA was all about.
"So Go Beyond. Plus Ultra." Their new teacher gave a creepy smile. "Show me it's no mistake that you're here."
The class seemed sullied by Aizawa's speech. Iida straightened his glasses, preparing himself for the challenge. Bakugo didn't seem fazed at all. While most were nervous, Midoriya felt himself hesitate. If the Omnitrix fails, he fails!
"So…let the games begin." Aizawa dryly stated.
xXx
Twelve hours earlier…
Hizashi Midoriya was having a dilemma.
After a full sweep of his family's home, he found trace readings of the device all over the place. In almost every single room, in fact. No trace of the actual device, but they were not leaving now. Not while his family was in danger.
The crew figured it out soon enough. Vonaq and Flynn couldn't have missed the relation in their investigation, especially when they found the family photo. If they hadn't found anything, they would have reason to take the Magister off the case. But find something they did.
Which was why everyone was scouring the earth internet to find some evidence linking the Midoriya family with alien activity. The most obvious thing they found was an uptick in alien sightings throughout Mustafu. A Lepidopterran being spotted over the city, a Galvanic Mechamorph in a classroom, a Tetramand in an arcade, the list went on. It had to be related.
Hizashi just couldn't figure it out. Why was his family in contact with alien technology? How did they get it? Do they know what they have?
"Magister," Argo called him out of his inner rambling. "I found something of interest in the local police database." Midoriya peered at the Opticoid's screen as an abandoned warehouse flickered into view. "Looks to be a security feed of some kind."
After a moment, a Kineceleran sped into the room, panting at a superhuman rate. A few seconds later, a large form crashed into the warehouse and attacked the raptor-like alien. They scuffled for a while, the larger figure gaining the upper hand by trapping the Kineceleran with a taedenite trap.
"Must be that Petrosapien bounty hunter," Argu grunted, pausing the video. "Think his name is Tetrax." He played the video again. Tetrax struck his prey in the head to stun and immediately took out some tools.
"Zoom in there…what's he working on?" Hizashi peered closer. The bounty hunter was working on a black and white badge of some kind. Small green sparks flashed on the screen as the Kineceleran stirred.
"Can't tell what it is. The video quality is too primitive." Argu frowned. "Though a Kineceleran would explain how the tech moves so quickly from place to place."
"Magister! I found something!" Lucy waved a device in the air. "I was inspecting this earth device I found…"
"Bought." Flynn said exasperated. "She bought a phone from the surface."
"Yeah, that." Lucy confirmed. "But anyway, I found this in the Twitter application! Look at this video!"
The team all crowded around the phone in the Lenopan's hands. It was a villain attack, dated about 8 months ago.
"That's not unusual, though the heroes don't look like they're helping." Hizashi observed.
"The slime has a hostage," Lucy answered. "But that's not important, look!"
The video continued, showing the slime villain using explosions from his hostage's hands to keep the heroes at bay, laughing maniacally. Then, out of nowhere…
"Is that…a Vulpimancer?" Manny asked no one. Now the entire team was watching. "And it's rescuing the kid?"
"No way…Vulpimancers barely care about their own kind, much less other sentient beings." Flynn said. But they watched on as the animalistic alien tore the kid from the villain and returned him to the heroes before turning to the villain. But before it could attack again, the video went red from a large flash of light. When the video stabilized, in the Vulpimancer's place was…a kid!
A kid with green hair.
Without a word, Hizashi snatched the phone from Lucy's hands, staring at the image. It was hard to tell, and the video was taken from a side-profile, but there was no mistaking it.
That was his son.
"Um…Magister?" Lucy said quietly, reacting to Hizashi's sudden action. The man's face was set, smoke seeping from his nostrils. Only Vonaq and Flynn had an inkling what was going on, because they recognised the boy too. His voice was shaky as he spoke.
"Track the whereabouts of Izuku Midoriya, age 15" he ordered. "Cross-reference his location with recurring alien sightings in the local area."
…
"As in now." Midoriya snapped. "Go!"
xXx
Present day…
"Grip strength, huh…" Midoriya held up the measurement tool, peeking at how his classmates were doing. One guy used three of his six arms to vice-grip the device, reaching the triple digits with ease. Most everyone else had trouble applying their own quirk to the test though. Electrification or acid spray doesn't exactly help.
Midoriya smiled as he turned the Omnitrix dial. Landing on his best bruiser, he slapped the core down.
FLASH!
"FOURAR-wait what?" He looked at his two arms. His two, white, scaly arms. "Ripjaws? Dammit." He flexed his webbed fingers together. How was he going to make this work?
"Awesome, dude!" A guy named Kaminari gave him a thumbs up. "You're like a scary merman!"
"Uhh…thanks?" He clicked his claws on his oversized teeth as he thought. It was already getting hard to breathe! But the quick-change feature was too unreliable and he couldn't risk changing back.
Wait…his teeth!
Without a second thought, he opened his huge jaws and carefully fit the device in between them. Careful not to shatter the tool, he squeezed his powerful bite down.
Beep! 633 lbs!
"Holy crap!" Kaminari shouted. "That's like, 4 times what Shoji got!" Shoji, the six-armed record holder, blinked in surprise at the feat. Midoriya immediately slapped the badge on his breast, changing back. He spat the device out, breathing heavily.
"Woah, hey dude! Are you ok there?" Kaminari reacted. "You're out of breath!"
"Gasp…yeah, just…can't breath…on land like that…gasp…" Midoriya waved him off. "I'm ok now…thanks."
Next was the 50 yard dash. Many students excelled in their own ways in this test. Iida simply sped through as fast as he could without burning out his engines while Ashido slid through on her acid. Some students, like Aoyama, were more unconventional with their methods. The sparkly boy turned backwards, jumped, and fired his belly button laser to shoot backwards. It took a couple of shots, but he too passed the 50 yard dash.
Midoriya lined up next to Bakugo, of all people, and spun the dial. XLR8 was the obvious choice here, but he raised an eyebrow at the watch. It gave him Ripjaws when he wanted Fourams, what if it messes up again?
Runners, on your mark! Ready?
"Crap, no time!" He selected an alien.
"Go!"
FLASH!
BOOOOM!
"BURST SPEED TURBO!" Bakugo shouted as he rocketed forward! He briefly checked behind him, spotting movement in the corner of his eye.
"OH HELL NO!" Bakugo pressed harder, shooting further with an even more powerful explosion. They both blew past the finish line, practically neck and neck.
2.34 seconds! 2.37 seconds!
"DEKU!" Bakugo raged. "WHAT THE FU-" He stopped, looking around. He was gone!
"Over here!" Katsuki tracked the voice, looking out to the field. Cannonbolt had accidentally dug himself into the field 75 more yards away from the finish line. He couldn't accelerate quickly, but he couldn't stop quickly either. Midoriya curled up and rolled back to the class, and a fuming Bakugo.
"I didn't hurt you, did I?" Cannonbolt asked.
"Tch, worry about yourself idiot!" Bakguo yelled. "You just got lucky!"
"Uh…ok." Midoriya timed himself out and rolled his shoulder back. For the next test, he'd be more prepared.
Next was the sand pit. The idea was to jump as far as you could to the other side. The same people from before had similar advantages, with some outliers. One purple headed boy used the sticky balls on his head to bounce his way through while a frog-like girl simply cleared it with one jump.
As for Midoriya, one flash later he was simply hovering over the pit as Stinkfly. He quickly buzzed to the other side, clearing the pit with no issue.
"Hold on, flight?" Mineta, the purple-balled boy yelled to Aizawa. "That's gotta be cheating, right, teach?"
Aizawa eyed the boy with mirth. "Perhaps you should worry about your job, and I'll do mine. Understood?"
Mineta stayed quiet for the rest of the test.
Later on was the endurance run. While everyone else ran for as long as they could, only 2 people were actually stopped from continuing for time's sake: Iida and Yaoyorozu, who created a bicycle for the test. This time, Midoriya successfully turned into XLR8 and sped perfectly around the track at least a few hundred thousand times before the Omnitrix finally timed out at 15 minutes. He had even created a small twister, kicking up a huge windstorm in the middle of the examination field. While the speed was jaw-dropping, Aizawa noted the time limit, as he suspected. It was strict, right from the time the kid's quirk was activated to the 15-minute mark.
And he knew why.
The next test was the softball throw. Uraraka gently tossed the ball into space with almost zero effort or strain, amazing the class. Not even Bakugo managed infinity!
"Midoriya, you're up." Aizawa called, throwing the ball to the teen. Midoriya stumbled to catch it, but recovered soon enough. Aizawa eyed the gray and green device critically. If there was anytime to test his theory, now would be the time.
Midoriya held the ball in his left hand as his right twisted the dial. "Ghostfreak…Grey Matter…Diamondhead? No…Fourarms it is." He raised his hand to slap the dial.
At the very same moment, red gleamed from his teacher's eyes.
FLASH!
In less than a second, the boy grew to an impressive 10 foot height, muscles overlapping as his skin turned crimson red. A second pair of orange eyes popped into his forehead as his hair shrank away. Two new, equally strong arms sprouted from his armpit as his clothes reconstituted themselves to fit his new form.
"FOURARMS!" The red ogre yelled with delight. "Now we're talkin'!" He tossed the ball to his upper right hand, his four-fingered grip nearly crushing it.
Aizawa closed his eyes. That only confirms it. Whatever's giving Midoriya's abilities, it isn't a quirk.
Just like his old friend said.
Fourarms spun his arm for the throw. For some reason, he felt…weird for a moment. But the moment passed and he was good to go! Unbeknownst to him, a certain Number One Hero was watching from afar, watching his protege's progress.
Also unbeknownst to him were the green sparks flickering from the watch face on his shoulder.
"Here goes nothing!" he cried out. He swung his arm back for the throw!
As he did, something that could only be seen by All Might occurred. While everyone else was focused on the throw, All Might noticed the Omnitrix turn green all of a sudden. In the split second it took to throw the ball, a wave of energy coursed from the Omnitrix, filling the arm with sheer power. The air parted as Fourarms finally let go of the ball.
WHOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSHHHHHH!
"AAAUGH!" Fourarms cried out in pain as the ball shot into the sky. The resulting kickback blew everyone a few feet back, including Aizawa! The ball shot higher and higher, entering the stratosphere with ease.
As everyone collected themselves, in awe of the display, Fourarms clenched his hand in pain. Actual pain! He never got hurt as a Tetramand before! Not ever! The usual red was tinted purple from the bruising.
"WHAT WAS THAT…" he thought to himself. "...One-for-All?"
"Midoriya." Aizawa snapped him into reality. "Are you hurt or sick?"
"Oh, no sir." he lied, hiding the limb behind his back. "Might have pulled something, but I'm fine."
"Then stop wasting time. Get out of the circle." Aizawa said tiredly. Fourarms gave a bow and hurried away. Aizawa waved the next kid in, checking the device as he did so.
4,780 meters.
"Well then…I expect a lot from you, kid. Don't disappoint." he thought.
Midoriya finally started breathing again as he strode off, hardly believing the feat. It was amazing to everyone else still, but waaaaay beyond anything he's done before in this form! The Omnitrix flashed red early, releasing the transformation.
"Weird, it's hardly been two minutes…" he checked the Omnitrix. The telltale red shone back at his, small crimson sparks racing around the dial. "One-for-All must have fused to the watch somehow, might have something to do with DNA…"
As for his arm, it was still slightly bruised from the sudden flood of power. It hurt, but had he been human, it would have shattered every bone in the arm, no question.
As for All Might, he continued to watch from afar as the rest of the class swarmed him.
"So, it finally manifested in you, young Midoriya" he thought proudly. "It took a moment, but you managed to bring out every scrap of my power to the surface in a single throw! Combined with that form's natural strength, the result is no surprise to me."
Back to Midoriya, he tried not to attract too much attention while a boy with ice powers made his throw, encasing the new ball in an icy lance to launch. But many were curious, though not everyone admitted to it.
"I wonder if he has ice like me?" Todoroki thought as he completed his throw. "That other girl mentioned a fire form…very odd."
xXx
20 minutes later…
The next few tests came and went without incident. Midoriya was going to use Cannonbolt to do the toe-touch, but his new quirk had burned the device out for much longer than expected. Same for the push-ups. He did manage an XLR8-boosted side-to-side step, blurring as his balled feet did all the work. His scores weren't half-bad, no chance he'd be expelled now.
Not that he wasn't still nervous. His first use of All Might's power shook him to his core. He didn't even know what triggered it! Maybe it just took a while to manifest, like All Might said? He shook the pain off his still bruised arm. He may have to head to the nurse's office afterwards. Despite all his variety, he didn't have a healing transformation.
"You should all have a decent understanding on where you stand, so I won't waste time reading every single score" Aizawa drawled. The class paid rapt attention, some sweating more than others as Aizawa clicked on the holographic line-up.
1st: Momo Yaoyorozu
2nd: Shoto Todoroki
3rd: Izuku Midoriya (tied)
3rd: Katsuki Bakugo (tied)
5th: Tenya Iida
6th: Fumikage Tokoyami
7th: Mezo Shoji
8th: Mashirao Ojiro
9th: Eijiro Kirishima
10th: Mina Ashido
11th: Ochaco Uraraka
12th: Koda Koji
13th: Rikido Sato
14th: Tsuyu Asui
15th: Yuga Aoyama
16th: Hanta Sero
17th: Denki Kaminari
18th: Kyoka Jiro
19th: Toru Hagakure
20th: Minoru Mineta
Midoriya and Bakugo both stared at the results in surprise. They tied! Evenly matched! Not only that, they were both beaten out by the students let in on recommendation!
While Bakugo glared daggers at the impassive ice boy, Midoriya studied his own scores. His ball throw was his biggest scorer and his grip strength and side steps were unmatched, but both Todoroki and Yaoyorozu had him beat on the distance run, sit-ups and toe-touch. Todoroki also beat him in the 50 meter dash, incredibly.
But how did he lose the distance run? Easy answer, it wasn't about speed at all! XLR8 outpaced everyone there, but could only run for 15 minutes before timing out. Todoroki and Bakugo went on for about 19 minutes before tiring out, while Iida kept going until Aizawa ended the test. Yaoyorozu cruised on her bike the entire time too.
With that in mind, 3rd place made perfect sense now that he thought about it.
Meanwhile, Aizawa barely glanced at the trembling 4 foot boy. He placed dead last, having only a couple decent scores on the board. Aizawa jerked his thumb backwards.
"Pack your things. Wait at the Principal's Office until I get there." Aizawa said in a bored tone. Mineta ran off, crying his eyes out in a cauterwall.
"Jeez, I know it sucks but…" Ojiro muttered to himself. "Wouldn't kill him to hold his head up high."
"Now that that is over with," Aizawa addressed the class. "Everyone head back to homeroom and review the syllabus. As you saw today, UA does not pull punches, so be prepared." He addressed Midoriya directly. "Go see the nurses office for that injury. Then see me as soon as you get back. Understand?"
"Y-Yes sir!"
Aizawa watched as the class made their way inside. He may not have said so, but he saw a lot of potential today. Even Mineta, though it will take him a bit longer to realize that potential. Hopefully, they won't need too much hand-holding.
He saw potential, but he saw problems too. And they were all different. Some like Uraraka and Koda had confidence issues while others like Bakugo and Kaminari were over-confident, both attitudes were dangerous if left unchecked. Todoroki, the son of Endeavor, had a quirk that utilized ice and fire, but never used the fire side once, even when it would've been perfect for the test. His ice is strong enough, but he'll have to get over that eventually if he wants to be a hero.
As for Midoriya…well, you could say he's his father's son.
xXx
12 hours earlier…
After much investigation, Hizashi Midoriya still couldn't believe it. His own son not only found level 20 tech, apparently known as the Omnitrix according to D'olo, but used it in place of a quirk to train for and enroll into UA Hero Academy!
This made things…somewhat complicated. It would be different if it was any other school, but UA is prestigious for a reason. The Omnitrix is officially listed as his quirk, dubbed "Alien Genetics". There were too many eyes on Izuku for him to just take it. And while they only just now got the footage from the practical exam (Nezu's firewalls were fierce enough to make a Galvan cringe), it was clear the school considered Midoriya to be extremely powerful. Which he was, for as long as he had access to the device.
And according to D'olo, who had now decided to share what he knew now that they actually knew about it, the young boy had only scratched the surface of what the Omnitrix was capable of. DNA alteration on a universal scale, to name one. And if the Omnitrix really could transform the wearer into any sentient being in the galaxy…
On the empty bridge of their ship, Hizashi searched the Plumber database with power level in mind. He had of course met some nasty customers in the past, Appoplexians and Vaxasaurians alike, but just how strong could the Omnitrix make you?
The answer? To'Kustars. Chronosapiens. Naljians. Saiyens. Even the fabled Celestialsapiens were a possibility, if they even existed. From what he could tell, Izuku only had access to about 11 transformations at this time. None of them were world-breakers, though little is actually known about Ectonurites as a whole. Pyronites were infamous for unintentional arson and Vulpimancers were barely registered as sentient to begin with. Petrosapiens were a dying breed, only one was actually confirmed to be alive. Galvan were arguably the smartest beings in the Milky Way, and their mechamorphic counterparts were no push-overs either. The rest were somewhat common though, and wouldn't be considered particularly dangerous or hard to take down if necessary.
But if Izuku were to accidentally access any of those transformations, the death toll could be countless without even trying. He simply cannot be allowed to keep the device for any longer.
Riiiiiing! Riiiiiiiiiing!
He froze as his ringtone buzzed in his pocket. There was no way his cell phone had reception in orbit. It could only be a few numbers calling. He answered the call.
"Hello, Shota."
"Hizashi." Aizawa responded curtly. "How's the orbit?"
"Can't complain, really. Earth's as blue as I remember it," he answered, not at all surprised that his old partner knew he was here. "I take it you know about…"
"The Omnitrix? Yeah, I gathered." On his side, Aizawa flipped through the school records of each transformation Midoriya has turned into on campus. "Pretty impressive tech for an ordinary, quirkless high schooler."
Fire seeped from Hizashi's breath at the accusation. "Trust me, I had nothing to do with this. If anything, I was sent to investigate the readings that have been cropping up lately. Now I know what they're from." He leaned into his chair. "Are you going to take him out of school then?"
"It's certainly within my power to" Aizawa answered honestly. "But it's a bit late. The kid's pretty good with that watch, you know. Reminds me of you back in the day. In any event, Nezu has his eye on him. It would be pretty strange if his quirk just disappeared right before class."
"Shit…" he cursed. Damn rat. Always was too smart for any kind of covert operation. "He can't keep it Aizawa. It's too dangerous to stay in his hands."
"I wholeheartedly agree." Aizawa said. "But removal isn't possible to begin with, as you may already know."
"You're referring to Tetrax?" he asked. "He didn't have time to really try…"
"It's biometrically locked with Galvan gene codes. Galvanic security systems are beyond Plumber resources." Aizawa stated. "Your best bet is to contact the creator."
"Not possible." Hizashi sighed. "Azmuth's off the grid, has been for the last century."
"Then, until you figure out how to remove it without Midoriya's knowledge, it's going to have to stay."
"Don't you get it?" Hizashi practically yelled. "This thing…it killed Vilgax!"
"...say that again." Aizawa said sharply.
"The Omnitrix. Killed. Vilgax." Hizashi repeated. "We found his remains in the Atlantic. The Omnitrix self-destructed, reconstituted itself, then somehow found its way to my son."
Aizawa was one of the most well-composed men Midoriya knew. Served 10 years with the Plumbers, nerves of steel, no matter the situation. But even the aged teacher took shallow breaths at the news.
"If that's true…"
"Then the Omnitrix has to be removed, Aizawa. There's no other option."
…
…
"There is one thing we can do."
"Do tell."
"We can't remove the Omnitrix, but we can monitor it. Ensure it doesn't go nuclear while we figure out how to separate it from your kid." Aizawa suggested. "That way, we can keep things under wraps while protecting Midoriya until we figure this thing out."
Hizashi considered the idea. It was the safest route so far. But with one flaw in mind. "You're good, Aizawa. But not even you can keep an eye on the Omnitrix 24/7. Not even during class."
"Which is why I'll need help. Got any infiltrators on your squad?"
Midoriya smirked. "I've got just the recruit for the job. But what about the rest of the time? I can't have someone constantly in my home, you know."
…
…
"Hizashi, I know you're not that stupid."
"I can't, Shota." Hizashi urged. "I made a promise to-"
"You promised to keep your family as far away from Plumbers, aliens, and danger as you could. But it's too late for that." Aizawa snapped. "Your kid has what might be the most powerful device the universe has ever seen, and is using it like a toy for his insipid dreams of being a hero. It's too late for that."
"I know…I just…" Midoriya struggled to find the right words. "How can I face them? After all this time?"
"It's not about the how, old friend," Aizawa said. "It's about the why."
xXx
Present day…
"You wanted to see me, sir?" Midoriya asked as he entered the classroom. Aizawa nodded, ushering him in.
"You hurt yourself during the throw." Aizawa stated. "Care to explain?"
"Oh! Um…you see…" Midoriya instinctively covered the watchface in defense. "I think…my quirk can overcharge when needed…when I'm in danger or, um, just try really hard, at the expense of my time limit. It's never happened before, so I don't know how else to explain it."
"I see." Aizawa knew that was a lie, but he didn't need the kid to know he knew that. "Well, be more careful in the future. You can't be much of a hero if you're too injured to move."
"Yes sir…was there anything else?" Midoriya asked.
Just for a moment, Aizawa considered telling the poor kid about the Omnitrix. What it was and what it could do. Just to see if the kid knew or not. But it wasn't worth it. He hated this too; teaching a kid he would have to take his quirk from eventually. But there was no other way around it.
Who knows? Maybe he never does. Maybe this is the hero Midoriya becomes. For humans and aliens. It remains to be seen.
"Just one thing," Aizawa said off-handedly. "If you use your speed form to get to school on time again, I'll know."
Izuku went straight as a board, redder than his time-out. "Y-Y-Yes sir."
"Then we understand each other." Aizawa finished. "Be prepared tomorrow."
"Yes sir!" In all his years, Aizawa had never seen a student leave the room so quickly. He almost laughed.